For years, the Peterborough Lakers have been the model MSL team, the standard that every other team wishes they could live up to. Sold out crowds, the best players, and a dedicated staff.
That may have changed on Thursday night as a month-long saga involving the board of directors came to a seemingly shocking close as five members of the six-man board announced their resignation.
Carl Doughty (major sponsor representative), Brian Higgins (finance), Doug Peacock (marketing), Karl McFadden (public relations), and Ron Nolan (team operations) have all resigned effectively immediately.
Earlier this fall, reports surfaced that the team’s president, Ted Higgins, who is credited with saving lacrosse in Peterborough, had been voted out as a board member by the others after refusing to retire quietly. Higgins originally denied this rumour to the media but later spoke out, confirming the board’s decision and vowing to fight it.
Higgins told The Peterborough Examiner that he had been “back-stabbed,” referencing a years long conflict between himself and the other board members that came to a head this year when problems began affecting the team on the floor.
Articles in The Examiner point to Higgins as the driving force behind the release of long time head coach Jamie Batley. Higgins was also named as the team representative who failed to turn over Scott Evans’ suspension notice to the coaching staff this year, which caused the Lakers to forfeit three games. Higgins also caused a trade to fall through at the deadline after he went around Joe Sullivan to become involved in trade talks.
Higgins retained legal counsel to fight the board’s decision three weeks ago, and the organization had been quiet until today’s announcement.
Director of Public Relations Karl McFadden said that the decision was the hardest one the board members had ever made. He stated in a press release that they all, “enjoyed many experiences with the Lakers organization and wish the team nothing but success in the coming season.”
No other reasoning was given for this decision, one that has shocked Peterborough and set fire to social media as fans speculate on what’s really going on. All board members have been tight lipped throughout the whole spectacle, and the public does not know what drove this decision, and maybe never will.
Each board member filled a specific position which now stand vacant. Word around town is that Higgins has mostly been the figurehead for years but was not very involved in the running of the team. However, he has experience running his business, Higgins Hardwood Flooring, so fans should expect him to fill the empty board spaces with qualified people that will help rebuild the team’s brand. The team cannot run without someone to coordinate all the day to day tasks.
One fan on Twitter already suggested that this could be the end of senior lacrosse in Peterborough. One would hope not, and the MSL will certainly hope not, as the Lakers are the league’s most profitable team. However, the team (or what’s left of it) must tread carefully with their next steps to ensure the proper people are put in place to help the team succeed.
